10. Niklas Backstrom – G 9 Seasons, 409 Games, 194 W, 142 L, 2.48 GAA, .915 SV% On June 1st, 2006 Niklas Backstrom signed a one year deal with the MN Wild at the spry age of 28. He came in as Manny Fernandez’s backup but quickly showed his talents as a number one goalie. October 7, 2006 was his first NHL game and first NHL win, 6 starts later, he recorded his first NHL shutout. In the middle of that same season, Fernandez suffered a knee injury which put Backstrom in the number one spot. He tied the MN Wild record,More
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3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #11
11. Manny Fernandez – G 6 Seasons, 260 Games, 113 W, 102 L, 2.47 GAA, .914 SV% While it’s easy to discount Manny Fernandez’s Wild career as nepotism gone wild (he’s the nephew of former Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire), there’s no doubt that he played a pivotal role in many of the formative years of the Wild. He consistently battled Dwayne Roloson for playing time, despite arguably being the better player. Maybe it was that fear of looking preferential, but Lemaire didn’t consistently play the better goalie, and Fernandez’s numbers were hurt because of this. Regardless, he still hasMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #12
12. Jared Spurgeon- D 6 Seasons, 372 Games, 37 Goals, 93 Assists, 130 Points A lucky break is what the Wild received in 2010, when Spurgeon couldn’t come to terms with the New York Islanders and came to training camp for the Wild and signed an entry-level contract. Year over year Spurgeon continues to impress and improve his game. With consistent and solid play in the defensive zone, he has also become a force in the offensive zone as well. With the Wild, Spurgeon has kept himself positive in +/- column making himself a invaluable asset to the team. In 2015 the Wild rewarded him withMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #13
13. Jason Pominville – RW 4 Seasons, 249 Games, 63 Goals, 96 Assists, 159 Points During the shortened 2012-13 NHL season, the Wild were looking to add some scoring and a top line winger to help with their playoff push. The Wild landed Jason Pominville from Buffalo at the trade deadline. Along with Pommers came a 2014 4th round pick, in exchange for LW Johan Larsson, G Matt Hackett, a 1st round 2013 pick and a 2nd round 2014 pick. Although he only played in 2 post-season games that year, Pominville had a solid first full season the following year, leading the teamMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #14
14. Derek Boogaard – LW 5 Seasons, 255 Games, 2 Goals, 12 Assists, 14 Points, 544 Penalty Minutes While the Wild have had several goons over their brief history (Matt Johnson, Brad Staubitz, Matt Kassian, John Scott), none of them had the hearts of the Minnesota fan quite like Derek Boogaard. Drafted in the 7th round of the 2001 draft, Derek took the slow route to the NHL, by blasting through opponents faces from the WHL, to the ECHL and to the AHL (with which the Houston Aeros honored him with a special “Bobble fists” doll). He made his debut with theMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #15
15. Antti Miettinen – RW 3 Seasons, 234 Games, 51 Goals, 70 Assists, 121 Points 15th on the 3 in the Box Top 33 Wild Players of All Time is Antti Miettinen. Another Finn that played for the Wild and posted strong numbers. Miettinen was signed as a free agent by the Wild during the off-season in 2008. Off the ice Miettinen is a man after my own heart, playing the guitar in a rock band. This did not sway him at all from being a productive member of the top line for the Wild. He may not be in any Wild record books,More
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #16
16. Charlie Coyle – C/RW 4 Seasons, 271 Games, 52 Goals, 69 Assists, 121 Points Charlie Coyle was drafted in the first round, 28th overall, in the 2010 entry draft by the San Jose Sharks, but has only played in the NHL wearing a Wild sweater. He came to the Wild in a trade, along with Devin Setoguchi and a 2011 first round pick, for Brent Burns and a 2012 second round pick, on June 25, 2011. He is currently signed through the 2019-20 season. Over the past two seasons, Coyle has not missed one regular or post-season game, including playingMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #17
17. Nick Schultz – D 10 Seasons, 743 Games, 26 Goals, 102 Assists, 128 Points Drafted in the 2nd round (33rd overall) by the Wild in 2000, Nick Schultz was a mainstay on the Minnesota Wild blue line for a decade. Well liked by both fans and teammates alike, he often wore the ‘A’ and ‘C’ in Jacques Lemaire’s rotating captaincy. While Schultz came to the Wild an offensive defenseman, he quickly settled into Lemaire’s defense-first mold and morphed into a true defensive defenseman (even having a stretch of 101 games without a goal). His defense was so highly rated that heMore
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #18
18. Pascal Dupuis – LW 6 Seasons, 334 Games, 67 Goals, 74 Assists, 141 Points Coming in 18th is the other #11, Pascal Dupuis. Dupuis’ run with the Wild from 2001 to 2007 during the Lemaire era was highlighted by the 2003 playoff run. Dupuis was an all around player. His defensive skill found him on the penalty kill, yet he was offensive enough to play the powerplay as well. His commitment to the team and hard work are hard to match. Reminds me of another #11 for the Wild. Plagued with lingering injuries during the 2003-2004 season, Dupuis production was down.More
3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #19
19. Jonas Brodin – D 4 Seasons, 263 Games, 15 Goals, 39 Assists, 54 Points Jonas Brodin, the Sweden native, was drafted by the Minnesota Wild 10th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. His rookie year, he lead all rookies in time on ice and came in 4th for the Calder Memorial Trophy. Since his NHL debut with the Wild, Brodin has consistently been one of the club’s top shot blockers. Currently he is signed with the Wild through 2020-21 season, and we’re hoping to see many additional blocked shots from him. Previously on our list: 20. Eric Belanger 21. CalMore